going into lockdown on my first hatch...nervous mom, please hang out with me....

[subhanalah]

You should take some of the hatchlings out of the incubator tonight and slip them under the hen, shed likely welcome them...less work for you!

 

[RookyChickMama]

I have 4 hatched so far, and 2 more pips. I was anxious about the last one, he took a long time, but finally hatched on his own! Glad yours are coming along good! Let us know about the rest!

 

[Dcat]

Spring is not for the faint of heart. Everything is breaking out to become stronger and bigger after a long cold sleep, it takes a lot of energy and inner strength to do. Abundance sounds like everything is going great for you. One day I will invest in an incubator like what you have, for now I'll work with my home made one. I'm almost jealous, LOL but so happy that I have a chance to join the ranks of all the hatchers.

 

[Abundance Farm]

Thank you everyone. Sure felt great to have a few midwives (and husbands) close at hand. Here are my results. I had 12 out of 23 eggs hatch. 5 of them were from my own chickens, 7 were the marans eggs I bought (paid for 12, she sent me 18=very generous in my book). One of the Marans has a birth defect/injury and I will need to cull him/her at some point. (I have found a very humane way to do this is to put them in a plastic bag and put them in the freezer. I can then let something eat the carcus. If you have a better way, please tell me). Of the remaining eggs, at least 5 were either infertile or very early death, the remaining were clearly developed but died without hatching, probably as a result of my ineptness. I will do better next time. It is very hard to stay out of the incubator. I am always wanting to get in there and think I messed up the humidity a few times. The last chick was "sticky" , but I was very glad to see her. She hatched at the end of day 23. I candled the eggs and turned the bater off at the end of day 24. I learned to candle my eggs as much as anyone can candle marans. I am happy with my investment in the marans eggs. Ofcourse I would like to have had more, but I think that was because of me as much as anything. I wonder about the Post Office also. Can't be too great a trip. I have found a farmer not far from me who has welsummers as well as black copper marans, and I will be picking them up myself in a day or two for hatch #2. Humidity is an issue. I kept worrying about the water troughs and saw several times that they were just short of empty. Hydometer? Everything I read says they are very inaccurate and not worth a lick. Input please? I learned about putting a paper towel or small sponge in to increase humidity. I understand now that there is plenty of room in there for the chicks and that they are better off there for a day or so than in the brooder. After all, hatcheries send fifty of them all jammed up together and they do just fine. I am amazed at how worried I was and anxious about these babies, and how it all sort of fell away after I turned the bater off. Facilitating birth is an awesome experience and not for the faint of heart. All of them are in a big crate in my guest bedroom for the time being under a lamp with water + apple cider vinegar to prevent pasty butt (right??) and medicated chick started. They look pretty cozy. Thank you again, so much! I will contact some of you again when the welsommers are ready to hatch if that is okay. Good luck to all, and have a good summer.

 

[chickster5003]

I just quite simply cut the head off it fast and easy putting them in dm the freezer they stay ALIve for a while u take baking soda and vinger and it make the gas and than u know they chick passes out